Found this on Brian Bassett's Jets blog. EA Sports accidentally posted a roster update for Madden 2006 where they had made Jets practice squad OL Michael King only seven inches tall. If you haven't seen the pictures yet, it's oddly whimsical.

I post this not because anyone really cares who Don Banks thinks is going to win on Sunday, but because I was intrigued by this comment about the Falcons-Bills matchup:

I know it's heresy and I'll be excommunicated for suggesting it, but if the Falcons have to play Matt Schaub for the injured Michael Vick, they will improve offensively. Atlanta will be more balanced and feature a more potent passing game without Vick and his one-of-a-kind rushing threat. Remember, folks. You heard it here first.

I'm not a big fan of these SI.com features where one of their writers writes a couple of hundred words but they space it out into 10 pages with photos. But I am a big fan of Dr. Z, so the link goes to his choice for the best receiver in the NFL, and you can click the arrows to see the rest.

Actually, I disagree very, very strongly with Dr. Z here, but I'm going to keep my reasons quiet for now and reveal them in a future edition of Every Play Counts. And that, my friends, is what is known as a tease.

Jay Glazer looks at the top coaching candidates as the rumor mill (Tice) gets spinning (Tice) extra early this year (Tice). Our man Jim Schwartz is here. (When you read "Schwartz has worked with statistical analysts to study down-and-distance decisions," or some such thing, that's a reference to FO.) So is Pittsburgh O-Line coach Russ Grimm, who was also mentioned as a possible head coaching candidate in the Steelers chapter of PFP 2005.

Dr. Z's Week 2 power rankings have a new number one: the Indianapolis Colts. In fact, the top six spots are all occupied by new teams. He also ranks the Falcons ahead of the Eagles (and the Redskins ahead of the Cowboys), introduces TV bubbleheads to Alan Ameche, and has his preseason pick to win the AFC North ranked 27th. You know things are weird when the Browns and the 49ers are ranked ahead of the Ravens and Vikings.

In typically small-c catholic TMQ fashion, Gregg Easterbrook begins this week with a discussion not of the football team in Tennessee but with a NASA rocket. We also get an assortment of pictures of ladies, not just Lora, a cheerleader for the Eagles, but also Marie Antoinette.

I know I wasn't the only one surprised that Bill Belichick didn't challenge Stephen Davis' first touchdown on Sunday when it appeared that he had fumbled before reaching the goal line. According to Belichick, he didn't challenge the call because of what he feels is the misguided NFL policy to not have cameras at either side of the goal line. Without such cameras, it appears that Belichick thinks it's a waste of time to make most goal line challenges. Why doesn't the NFL have goal line cameras? It makes too much sense not to do.

Here's an interesting story on how the 49ers are using some advanced statistical methods to evaluate college and pro players, something no other NFL team is currently doing. Much like the statistical revolution in baseball, not every GM or head coach believes that the nerd with the pocket protector and a background in mathematics is necessarily the best resource when it comes to X's and O's. But San Francisco's Paraag Marathe is doing his part to change that perception. (Thanks to G. Fischer for the link; bugmenot/free registration required)